Dulcinea: The Dressrosa Years
by ishxallxgood
Summary: Takes place during my other story Dulcinea of El Toboso. If you haven't read that one, I suggest you read that first, or not. A daughter!OC story about the daughter Doflamingo never knew he had until she showed up one day a year after he became King of Dressrosa. Revolves around her and the Donquixote family. :)
1. Chapter 1

**_a/n: Because I fell in love with my character, Dulcinea, I decided to do a follow up fic for her. This takes place during those ten years she spent in Dressrosa, and picks up right after she gets there (so right after chapter three of Dulcinea of El Toboso) Each chapter should suffice as a stand alone one-shot, but it would help if you've already read Dulcinea of El Toboso, that way you get a better understanding of her and her mother. :) Hope you enjoy this since you know, evidently we need more Doffy love in our lives._**

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Dulcinea followed close after her father, clutching the straps of the large pack on her back tightly. The battle at the colosseum was over, and her father and his executives were making their way through the underground tunnel connecting the colosseum to the palace. Every now and then he would turn toward her and flash her a reassuring smile as they continued to walk.

"El Toboso huh?" The extremely tall man, Diamante, asked her suddenly, as they passed through the threshold into the palace.

She nodded, "Yea… it's nothing compared to this place though."

"Uhahahahaha, no, it really isn't… but that wine…"

"Oh right! The wine!" She suddenly exclaimed, stopping.

"What about the wine?" Doflamingo asked as he too stopped and glanced down at her, his interest piqued.

"Mama had them put a few cases onto the ship… I have forgotten all about it... considering..." Her voice trailed and her eyes dropped to the ground.

Dropping down to a squat Doflamingo gently pat the girl on the head. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it, knowing your mother, I'm sure she had them arranged to bring it over to the palace from the docks, come now, sweetheart" He said, picking her up, "It's time to meet the rest of the family."

Dulcinea smiled nervously as they entered a large drawing room, and the strangest assortment of people stared back at them. Putting her down next to him, Doflamingo took the pack from her and handed it to a servant girl, giving her a series of orders before turning his attention toward his family.

"Oh, the Young Master brought us a new child to play with!~" An older woman, with red and yellow hair who was sitting by a table in front of a window, said as she looked over at them and smiled brightly at Dulcinea.

"Fuffuffuffuffu," Doflamingo laughed, placing a hand on Dulcinea's head. "Not just _any_ child, but a very special child."

"I'm not sharing my room." A young girl with aquamarine hair stated defiantly, popping a grape in her mouth.

"It's okay!~ She can share my room!~" A little boy with a white cap and horns exclaimed spinning in a circle, before running up to her smiling brightly in her face. "She has such pretty hair, so… purple!~ Kya, Jora-kaasan, can I dye my hair purple!?~

"Of course you can my little Delly-bean." The older woman, Jora, cooed.

Doflamingo let out a chuckle as he made his way deeper into the room. "Oh there'll be no need for that, my little Sugar, Dell." He said with a smile, rustling the little girl's hair as he walked by her, settling down on the empty couch in the middle of the room, gesturing for Dulcinea to come take a seat next to him. "I've decided that she'll be staying in the Heart Suite."

"WHAT!?" Most of the room exclaimed in unison, causing Dulcinea to jump a little and pick up her pace, garnering another laugh from him.

"What can I say," He said with a smirk, as his arm dropped down across the her shoulders. "She captured my _heart_."

"Oh… OH!" Jora exclaimed, clasping her hands excitedly as she got up from the table and drew closer to them. "I see it now!~"

"Eh? What are you talking about Jora?" A large man with long blonde hair and a tail, asked from the far side of the room.

Jora turned toward him, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Ah, Machvise, the little darling looks just like _her mother_."

"Fafafafafafa," Came a laugh from the old man in spandex, who was seated at the table Jora was previously sitting at. "That she does. It would also explain those cases of Déesse wine that was delivered earlier."

"What are you guys talking about?" A pretty teenaged girl with a red bow in her dark hair asked, looking between the three adults.

"Yea, what's going on?" The large young man next to her asked, equally confused.

"Oh, of course!~ You kids wouldn't know!~" Jora exclaimed, waving her hand at them. "She was before your time…"

"Who was before our time?" The girl asked again, interest bubbling in her eyes.

"Aldonza." Came Doflamingo's reply, and Dulcinea could feel him tense up as her mother's name passed through his lips, the smile on his face tightening. She looked from him to the others in the room, the older members of the group simply smiled knowingly, and she could only assume that they had all known her mother in the past. The others, the younger ones, still looked as confused as ever, and her mother's name clearly meant nothing to them. Except one, the dark haired woman in a polka dot dress, who was sitting off on the side by herself. She had clearly startled when she heard the name, but there was no recognition in her eyes.

"Ne, ne, Doffy, and you are sure she's yours?" The large slimy man who had been with them back at the colosseum asked, gliding his way over, stopping only when he was mere inches from her father's face.

Doflamingo's aura turned deadly and the smile on his face faded altogether. He didn't say a word, but his thoughts could be heard clearly by everyone inside that room, " _Even if it's you, Trebol, I will rip you apart limb by limb if you dare insinuate that she had EVER known a man other than me again_."

"Behehehehe, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" The slimy man said with a laugh, backing up a little, clearly frazzled. "Ne, Doffy, I just wanted to be sure."

"Be sure of this, Trebol," Doflamingo spat, the vein between his brows throbbing with anger. "If you ever question her parentage again, I will personally string you out the fourth floor balcony and set you on fire."

Sugar snickered at the thought, earning a jab to her side by the green haired woman next to her.

"So darling," Jora, said settling down next to her, brushing a strand of hair out of Dulcinea's face. "Tell me, where is your mother? She was always so nice and fond of my artwork."

Dulcinea looked from the eccentric woman to her father, a sadness crossing over her eyes as she dropped her head. "Mama…" she started softly, trying to contain the surge of emotions running rampant inside of her.

Letting out a sigh, Doflamingo glanced over at Jora, an unreadable smile filtering across his lips. "... is gone." He finished for Dulcinea, in a tone that indicated that the discussion was over.

Understanding his meaning, Jora offered him an apologetic smile as she got up, giving Dulcinea a pat on the head before returning to the little table she was sitting at before. The air in the room became uncomfortably stiff and an awkward silence blanketed them. No one was quite sure what to say, and the expression on Doflamingo's face unnerved everyone.

"Soooooo… what's your name? Where're you from?" The little boy with round eyes and sandy blonde hair asked, breaking the silence as he climbed up onto the couch next to her. "I'm Dellinger, and I'm a half fighting fishman!~ Wanna see?"

"I'm Dulcinea… of El Toboso." She said turning toward him, "You're a half fighting fishman!? That's so cool!"

"Yea!~" Dellinger squealed. "Look!" He said as the dorsal fin emerged from his back and his teeth grew razor sharp.

Doflamingo watched the two children interact, a small smile crossing his lips as Dulcinea wiggled out of his arm to touch Dellinger's fin, giggling in delight. Her smile disarmed him, and for the first time in nine years he felt those demons twisting inside of him subside and that darkness in his heart dissipate as his soul was set free. In that moment, he decided that he would do everything within his power to protect that smile, so he would never have to see it waver.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ugh this is the worst!" Sugar exclaimed throwing the book onto the ground. "I don't understand why we have read all this crap anyway."

Dulcinea looked up from the history book she was reading and shrugged. "I don't know… because it's what papa told us to do? Besides, I find it pretty interesting."

"Of course you do." Sugar scoffed, crossing her arms as she sat back in her chair, glaring at the stack of books. "Look at me, I'm Dulcinea… blah blah blah I'm little miss perfect and love being a nerd."

"Why do you always have to be like that." Dulcinea said with a pout. "All I said was that I found the book interesting. Not my fault you don't appreciate reading."

"Not my fault you don't appreciate reading." Sugar mocked.

Dellinger giggled. "Just ignore her Dulci-chan!~ She's always like that. If she was _nice_ I'd be worried…"

"Shut it you stupid fish."

Dellinger stuck out his tongue at her and turned his attention back to the book. "Anyway, Dulci-chan, _I_ find this pretty interesting too… I mean the way they described the war... it's simply delicious."

"Who the hell cares about a war that took place hundreds of years ago?"

"Well…" Dulcinea offered, "History is circular... and has a tendency to repeat itself. Perhaps in different areas and in different time lines… but mama always said that in order to have a proper understanding of what's happening around us today, one must first understand what has happened in the past. It really is a shame we don't have any information on the Void Century though."

"That's stupid." Sugar retorted with a pout. "You guys are lame… let's ditch this joint and hide rotting meat in Trebol's slime…"

"Fuffuffuffuffu, that's perhaps not the _best_ idea, Sugar." Doflamingo said with a laughed as he entered the library where the children had been studying for the better part of the morning. "You do realize that _I_ have to spend _hours_ in the same room as him."

"Heh, sorry Young Master… I promise not to put rotting flesh in Trebol's slime on the the days you have meetings lined up with him." Sugar said as she placed her right hand over her heart in mock pledge as a wicked grin crossed her face.

"Fuffuffuffuffu, very good. Now that that's settled, pick up your book Sugar. That's no way to be treating books." He said settling down in the oversized sitting chair across from the table they had been reading at. "Now come here and tell me what you've all learned today."

Dulcinea and Dellinger jumped up excitedly, climbing onto the the chair and enthusiastically recounted the detailed destruction of Shandora and the formation of the World Government after the end of the great war, while Sugar grumbled in her chair refusing to get up and rolled her eyes at them the whole time.

"Nerds." She mumbled with a scowl.

"Fuffuffuffuffu, so tell me Sugar, what did _you_ learn this morning?" Doflamingo asked, petting Dulcinea on the head as she settled down on his lap, while Dellinger hung upside down off the arm of the chair, scraping the floor with his nails.

"Well…" Sugar started, absently pushing the book around the table. "I learned that those two are nerds... and that Dulcinea crinkles her nose whenever she finds something repulsive in a book, and Dell bounces in his seat when he reads something that excites him. Also that this table is made of a rich mahogany and I would have to train a little harder if I want to hit it with enough force to split it in two… all I can do now is this slight crack right here." She said pointing to a small crack running halfway up the center of the table.

"Well, you're in luck my little Sugar. You and Dell have lessons with Lao G this afternoon, and you sweetheart," He said smiling down at Dulcinea, "You, will be starting your lessons with Gladius."

"Ugh Gladius." Sugar said with a roll of her eyes. "He's the worst."

"You think everyone's the worst… besides, Gladius-niisan is only the worst to you because you're always late." Dellinger said with a giggle. "Don't listen to her Dulci-chan, Gladius-niisan is the best. It's so funny when he blows things up by accident…" Sitting up he grinned at her. "Just ask him about Violet-neechan his reactions are so funny."

"Ugh." Sugar groaned again. "I don't get it… Violet's not even that pretty… her face is kinda busted if you ask me."

"Well no one asked you." Dellinger retorted, pulling down his lower eyelid and sticking out his tongue at her. "Violet-neechan's beautiful, right Young Master?"

"Fuffuffuffuffu," Doflamingo laughed, "Violet's pretty enough I suppose. Besides, Sugar, one doesn't exactly have to look at her face to appreciate the rest of her." He said with another laugh.

Sugar rolled her eyes again in disgust, "Of course _you_ would say that." She said in a tone that indicated she knew exactly what it was he was inferring. "C'mon Dulcinea, let's get outta here and freshen up for lunch, pretty sure you don't want to hear the rest of where this is going."

"Why wouldn't I… Oh…OH!" Dulcinea exclaimed, jumping off her father's lap and following after Sugar. "Well then, that was an unpleasant thought…"

"You don't know the half of it…" Sugar said as they exited the room, Dellinger running to catch up with them as Doflamingo's laugh echoed in the background.

Letting out a sigh Dulcinea settled down onto the large balcony, the way she did every night since she first arrived in Dressrosa a few weeks ago. Looking down at the pool below her, she wondered how it would feel to dive into it from this height, _painful,_ the little voice in the back of her head said, _very painful, perhaps even deadly._ Scoffing to herself she pushed the thought out of her mind as she went over the events of the day.

The day had certainly been interesting to say the least. Lessons with Gladius went far smoother than she had anticipated, for she had ensured she was on time, since punctuality was evidently a big thing with him. She did not have to bring up Violet, not that she was going to anyway, since near the end of their lesson Violet had shown up to deliver a message from her father, which caused the clipboard he had been holding to unexpectedly explode. Dulcinea decided in that moment, that it was perhaps never a good idea to bring up Violet around that man, although she could see why Dellinger would find it amusing. Unfortunately, she couldn't quite shake what Sugar had been insinuating out of her head, and every time she looked at Violet, she couldn't help but throw up a little in her mouth.

"Is what Sugar said true?" She asked when he eventually came out and took a seat beside her.

"Fuffuffuffu, is what Sugar said about what true?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into his warmth. "Sugar says a lot of useless things."

Leaning back into him Dulcinea let out a small laugh. "Yes, I suppose she does, but I mean about you and Violet."

Bending down he kissed her gently on the head. "There are some things that are better off left unsaid, don't you think so, sweetheart?"

Dulcinea frowned, it was not direct confirmation, but she was smart enough to know it was confirmation. Either way, she wondered why she even cared. It was not like it made a difference, it was not like he was disrespecting her mother in anyway. For starters, her mother wasn't even there with them anymore, besides, she had tossed him aside years ago. Although if she was honest with herself, Dulcinea still wasn't sure how she felt about that either. A little part of her was still bitter about the fact that her mother decided on her own that she was better off without her father. Her father. The man who was and is her everything, her sun and her stars. The man who she cannot even imagine spending a moment apart from, let alone a lifetime. How could her mother possibly believe that she would have been better off without that man's love? She felt like she wouldn't be able to breathe if she had to endure without his love.

"Does it really bother you that much?" He asked as she fell into a deep melancholy silence, that smile he wanted to preserve so badly, fading from her face.

"Huh, what? No." She said shaking her head. "I don't really care about that… I just got lost in my thoughts again…"

"And pray tell sweetheart, what exactly is it that you're thinking about with such an expression?" He asked, although a little part of him already knew the answer.

She sighed and leaned her head back so she could look up at him, a sad smile filtering across her lips as she said, "Mama."


	3. Chapter 3

"If you have something to say to me, could you please say it already. I don't know much longer I can take your awkward glances."

Dulcinea's eyes darted over to Violet, and she lowered the book she had been pretending to read for the past hour. "I'm sorry." She said with a sheepish smile, and make her way over to the stoic young woman.

Viola's eyes soften a little, and she had to remind herself that this was just a child she was speaking with. A child who had just recently lost her mother and was thrown into this insane family. Letting out a sigh she put down the book she had been reading and shifted over, making room for the child.

Noticing the change in Violet's demeanor, Dulcinea gave her a genuine smile as she climbed onto the loveseat, and looked up over at Violet again. Dellinger had been right, Violet was very pretty, especially when she wasn't scowling, she honestly had no idea what Sugar meant when she said that Violet's face was 'kinda busted.' Then again, as her father had pointed out to her, Sugar had a tendency to say a lot of ridiculous things.

"Is it true? All those things Gladius says about you?" She finally asked, fidgeting with her mother's pendant.

"Probably." Viola replied, biting at her lower lip. It was no secret that Gladius hated her, and more often than not, voiced his opinions about her and how she threw away her real family for _this_ one. She hated it, that constant reminder, but in the end, it helped anchor her and solidified her hatred for that monster.

"So are you really a treacherous snake, who's just biding your time so that you could one day sink your teeth into papa's neck and poison him from the inside while stabbing him in the back when his guard is down?"

The laugh Viola let out in response to that question was the first real laugh she had had in over a year. He had really outdone himself this time, and sure, deep down she knew he was probably right, that she was simply just biding her time here, and if she could, she would love to embed a knife into that demon's back. Unfortunately, she also knew that such a thing would be impossible and she had, by now, begrudgingly accepted her fate. "No, I suppose _all those things Gladius says about me_ aren't true." She said, the laugh still lingering in her voice.

"Oh, okay, because I really didn't think so either. You didn't seem like the type." Dulcinea said settling down against the arm of the loveseat, her fingers still playing with the pendant. "So what _did_ you think he was saying about you?"

The laugh faded from her eyes, and she looked anywhere except at the little girl sitting next to her. "That I tossed my family aside to stand by Dof- your father's side… that a woman like me could not be trusted."

"Oh." Dulcinea replied, noticing the similarity yet obvious differences in those two statements, and she almost regretted the fact that she had asked. "Do you hate him?"

"Who?" Viola asked, finding the courage to look down at the child again. "Gladius?"

"No, my father."

Viola continued to stare blankly at the girl, trying hard to find the right words to say to the child. How could she possibly express to a child so young, so innocent, so pure, that her father was a demon, a monster, the devil incarnate, and that yes, she hated, no loathed him more than anything in this world. It wouldn't be fair to say such things to a child who had just lost her mother, who was just easing into a new life, who she could see so clearly, simply loved and adored her father. No, she would not be the one to tell this child that her father was a monster, that _that_ was probably the reason her mother had kept her hidden for so many years, that _that_ was why her mother most likely left him, because he was in fact a horrifying monster.

"No, I do not hate your father." She lied, a lie that was so hard and bitter for her to swallow.

"It's okay." Dulcinea said, dropping the pendant back into her dress before sitting up, a knowing smile filtering across her lips. "I understand."

"Excuse me?"

"I know that tone." Dulcinea said softly, her eyes locking into Violet's. "Mama used to use that same tone whenever I asked her if she hated papa too. I didn't really pick up on it at first, but then it became clear... because whenever I asked her if she loved papa, there was always this longing in her voice, this spark in her eye, when she said yes… but then… whenever I asked her why we couldn't see him, if it was because she hated him…" Her voice trailed and dropped her eyes back down to her hands. "She would always answer the way you just did."

Viola was flabbergasted. She had not realized that this child could have been so astute, that with one lie she was able to see past all her walls, and that this girl actually _understood_. "And this doesn't bother you?" She asked perplexed, as she fought the urge to look into the girl's mind.

"No, should it?" She asked, "I mean if what you said Gladius said of you is true, then why should it bother me that you hate him? You have your reasons, quite valid reasons it would seem, as I'm sure mama probably had as well... though what they were she would never tell me." Dulcinea let out a chuckle. "Did you know, that she actually believed that she could shield me from all those things we all know papa did, that papa is capable of?"

"What do you mean?"

"Pirates do not receive bounties for no reason. Pirates especially do not amass three hundred and forty _million_ berrie bounties for no reason. Mama didn't know it, but I knew that she kept every article in the newspapers that even remotely mentioned papa. After she showed me that wanted poster, I scoured every article, she owned, learned everything I could… three hundred and forty million berries… I'm surprised it wasn't higher."

"So his atrocities don't bother you?"

Dulcinea shrugged. "No, I suppose they don't… I'm sure he had his reasons."

"Being a sadistic bast-"

"Don't." Dulcinea said, interrupting her, a darkness crossing over her bright blue eyes, her smile twisting into something dangerous, something Viola had seen countless times reflected on that man's face. "Just because the fact that you hate him doesn't bother me, it doesn't mean that I would for a second tolerate _anyone_ bad mouthing him."

A shudder passed through Viola as the little girl's expression changed, and suddenly she could see beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this child most definitely had that man's blood running through her veins. Eight years old and she could already feel the power simply radiating off of her. A little part of her wanted to steal the child away, to take her so very far away from all these horrible people, that maybe, just maybe if she could do that, this child's innocence and purity could be retained, and she wouldn't have to be tainted by their filth. Oh but she knew that was an impossibility as well, that if she couldn't even free herself from that monster's grasp, how could she possibly steal away the one thing he actually cherished. No, there would be no escaping that man, not for her, and especially not for that child, she was clearly bound to him now, in more ways than one, and Viola could understand why that child's mother kept her hidden away for so long.

"I'm sorry." Viola offered, "I was out of line."

The corners of Dulcinea's mouth twitched, and slowly her features relaxed, that smile she always wore returning to her lips again. "Papa's no saint. Even I'm not delusional enough to believe that, but papa is the light of my life, my sun and my world, and every time I look at him, I can't help but fall in love with him a little bit more. Sure he's done some horrible things…"

" _You have no idea little one…_ " Viola thought.

"... But then again, haven't we all? Don't we all deserve to be loved unconditionally despite our imperfections?"

" _Such bold words for one so small_." Viola sighed. "How can you possibly love that man?"

"How can you possibly not?" Dulcinea retorted. "He is so tall and handsome as hell… he's so bad, but he does it so well…" She let out a chuckle. "Oh he's magnificent, so majestic, so breathtaking… he's… he's like a god who just stepped out of heaven and stole the sun…"

Viola laughed, for if she didn't she would have cried. " _He's deplorable_." She wanted to say, but bit her tongue. "He tried to kill my father, you know… he murdered my friends… destroyed my life…"

"And yet," Dulcinea said, placing her hand gently on Violet's lap, patting it lightly as if she was soothing an injured child. "A little part of you still somehow manages to overlook all that."

"What do you mean?" Viola asked absolutely appalled by that thought.

Dulcinea shook her head and smiled apologetically at the former Princess. "Oh Violet," She said almost sympathetically. "I see the way you look at him when you think no one else is watching... I might be young, but I'm not stupid… and I know exactly what _that_ look means…" She shook her head sadly and leaned back down against the loveseat, her hands fishing out that pendant again. "I've seen it reflected in the eyes of the countless men who've tried to court mama over the years… _lust_. Not that I can blame you. Papa is unlike any man I've ever met… it's only natural that you would be drawn to him… for all men pale in comparison to him… even _you_ have to admit that much."

Viola gaped at the child, no, no she didn't. "You're eight, what do you know of lust..." She found herself asking, disgusted by the idea that she might actually _desire_ him. Did she though? Did she really crave that man's touch? Does a mere glance from him really make her stomach actually twist into knots and her heart race with anticipation? How did it come to this?

"I'll be nine soon, and I'm certainly not blind." Dulcinea said with a small chuckle. Shifting her gaze from the pendant back up to Violet, the smile fading from her face. "I feel sorry for you Violet. I really do. I can see you trying so hard to mask your hatred, but if _I_ can see it, I have no doubt in my mind that papa can see it... Was it really worth it?"

"Of course it was worth it." Viola replied, fighting back her emotions. "One day you'll understand… that sacrificing your own happiness in exchange for your father's life will always be worth it."

Dulcinea let out a laugh, "Oh but my dear Violet… papa's a god, don't you know? Heaven will _always_ smile down at him, and it would _never_ come down to that."

"If that's what you choose to believe."

"Oh? So in the end, are you telling me that what Gladius said was true after all? Because if it is, then I feel even worse for you."

"And why's that?"

"Because in the end, you'll just be living a miserable existence harboring a hatred that will slowly eat away at you. I'm not saying you should let go of your hatred, your hatred is justifiable, but just know this… papa would _never_ let down his guard around you." Dulcinea got up from the loveseat, offering Violet a sad smile as she turned to leave.

"You can't possibly know that for sure…" Viola said in a small voice, refusing to believe this will be the rest of her life. One of these days she'll break free, release this country from his clutches and save her father.

Turning around a smug smirk crossed over Dulcinea's face as her hand rested on the handle of the door and she met Violet's eyes once more. "Oh I know for sure, Violet. You should stop deluding yourself and open your eyes. Tell me, in that one moment when he would be the _most_ vulnerable… what is it that he's thinking of?"

Viola wanted to protest, but as those words left that child's mouth, the final nail in her coffin had been set. "You're eight…" Viola repeated, refusing to accept the truth. "What do you know?"

"I _know_ that you recognized my mother's name." She stated pointedly giving Violet one last smile before opening the door and exiting.

Violat stood there dumbfounded. How a girl so young could see all these things about her was beyond her comprehension. She was wrong, this child was anything but innocent, and next to Doflamingo himself, _she_ was the most dangerous member of this little _family_.


End file.
